Teenage Brady Hansard sits deeply immersed in the project before him. The kitchen of his family’s Bountiful home is in disarray, microwave parts scattered across the counter like a high-stakes puzzle.
The appliance wasn’t broken; it worked just fine. But Brady had to know how it worked. What better way to find out than to dissect it? As Brady’s mom walked in, she was mildly exasperated by the mess but hardly surprised.
“Ever since I was as old as I could talk, I was fascinated by how anything worked,” Brady says today, reminiscing on his childhood. “If I don't know how something works, I have to deep dive to figure it out.”
Sitting still has never been his style. These days, life keeps him moving in more ways than one, mostly thanks to his four energetic kids who share their father’s inquisitive nature. But not far behind are his other passions—he’s a full-time aerospace engineering student and a full-time skills trainer at the University of Utah Health’s Quality Improvement Department. To say he’s busy is understatement.
Brady spends life on his feet. From transporting blood samples in emergency situations to training radiology transport staff to safely guiding patients to their scans, he’s in the thick of it—not behind a desk, but in the hallways, on the floors, and right next to the very people he supports.
“I don't like to just sit back and let things go by,” Brady explains. “I like to proactively work toward them and find a solution not only for myself but for whoever might have an issue that I can possibly help with.”
As a member of the hospital’s support services—an umbrella term for non-medical staff—Brady sees value in every role, from entry-level staff to directors. It may be his team’s mantra, but it’s something he chooses to live by. “We treat everyone the same,” he says. “Our job is to make sure every employee feels safe, valued, and supported with the tools they need to do their job well.”
For Brady, it’s about supporting his team members—and the people they serve. Some of his favorite moments are the long patient transports, when there’s time to connect, listen, and trade stories. “Even though we’re not helping them medically, we can still help them in spirit,” he says. “That’s so important in a hospital setting.”
He remembers a family who had been in a severe car accident. Each day for months, Brady would transport the parents with a smile to visit their children, who were receiving care nearby at Primary Children’s Hospital. One day, as he prepared to transfer the parents by wheelchair, they surprised him, able to stand up and physically walk into their children’s room for the first time since the accident.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” Brady says. “It puts things into perspective as to what’s really important in life.” Their journey came full circle when Brady was on call to discharge them from the hospital and send them home with a hug. It’s stories like these that stick with him.
In a job where the outcomes aren’t always obvious and the recognition isn’t always loud, Brady counts his impact in those small moments—when an employee feels empowered, a patient feels seen, and each colleague knows they can count on him.
“Life is all about experiences,” Brady says, “and if you can learn from other people's experiences or find something new through conversation or connecting with somebody, it's just amazing.”
He carries that same childlike curiosity with him every day on the job. It’s his commitment to even the smallest details that keeps the hospital running. Because for Brady, the journey itself—not the title, not the endpoint—is what matters most. And he walks that journey with purpose, compassion, and a spirit of service that never sits still.
Video by Bethany Burtch; Story by Ginna Henriksen